Unquestionably, the US Hispanic population has emerged as a very important consumer segment over the past two decades. Given this community’s sheer size and growing share of the economic pie, this comes as no surprise. However, with ongoing demographic changes, the traditional approaches associated with servicing American Hispanic consumers need updating. Thus, contact center outsourcers that can drive contemporary solutions which provide augmented levels of support to US Hispanic consumers will be those that gain more market share from enterprises eager to win loyalty from within this community.
To use boxing terminology, the tale of the tape speaks directly to the growing importance of the US Hispanic consumer. In its 2015 estimate, the US Census Bureau counted nearly 57 million Americans of Latin American heritage (roughly 18% of the country’s population). By 2060, this figure will have reached nearly 130 million. But, these numbers only tell part of the story; what is less widely discussed, but incredibly important, is that US Hispanic household income continues to rise steadily, and was last recorded in 2015 at an average of $44,782 per home. This was a 23% increase from 2005. Combined with the concurrent upward trend in the numbers of American Hispanic community members completing secondary school and university, enterprises are rightly interested in positioning themselves favorably with this consumer segment, which is increasing in education and buying-power.
Where the dynamic in this discussion shifts is in the approach that needs to be applied from the perspective of contact center support. Forward-looking service vendors will remark that there are significantly more members of the US Hispanic community are born domestically than abroad, a trend that has now become generational. This has led to the development of a distinct American Hispanic culture, clearly rooted in Latin America, but which is very much its own. Being able to optimally service this consumer set is imperative in developing long-term brand loyalty. Outsourcers that lead with stand-alone offerings designed to support this segment will clearly see a competitive advantage from enterprise executives interested in cementing their firm’s position within this burgeoning community.
One firm that has been taking a unique approach is Arizona-based Granada Corporation. With a remote, bilingual workforce throughout the United States, this player’s efforts at recruiting US Hispanics who can interact seamlessly with members of their own community provides its clients with a advantage. Notwithstanding the high quality bilingual delivery that is done from countries in the Caribbean and South / Central America for US end-users, being able to provide a domestic equivalent staffed by American residents is a clear point of strength in terms of not just pure language, but also commercial / cultural empathy.
Going forward, to stand out from the crowd, outsourcers servicing the US bilingual and Spanish-speaking demographics will require as many advantages as possible. Clearly, this community’s sheer magnitude in numbers and consumer strength cannot be ignored. Therefore, by looking at new methods of driving value for American Hispanic consumers, vendors will be well positioned to help their clients gain and sustain market share in one of the most important US market segments.
